
Glass f t-i-') 







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AN ACCOUi^T OF 



MOEPFEL'S 




SGHOHMIE CAVE,(f , 



i 

B^:*§ WITH THE HISTORY OF ITS DISCOYEET. SUBTI'.R- 



NE W-Y O 




n 



RANEAN LAKE, MINERALS, AND 
natural' CURIOSITIES. 



Ilbtriiteir toit| d^ngrattngs. 



M 



NE W-Y RK: 
PRINTED BY W. E: & J. SIBELL, 

No. 20 Wall Street, cor. Nassau. 
1 8 5-3. 



Price 50 Cents. 






■5^ oj^_a. 




1^ 



AN ACCOUNT 



sc: 




SClMRIi COOm, IW MR : 



WITH THE 



HISTORY OF ITS DISOOYERY, SUBTERRANEAN LAKE, 
MINERALS AND NATURAL CURIOSITIES. 



ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS 



NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED BY W. E. & J. SIBELL, 

No. 20 Wall Street, cor. Nassau. 

18 5 3. 



Price 50 Cents. 






Entered according to Afct of Congress, in the year 1853, 

By w/ n. KNOEPFEL, Qi'lS^ ^AAY^ 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Southern District of New- York. 



KNOBPFEL'S 

11 1^1 



'^'5 



AT 



SCHOHARIE. 



The traveller through many lands, after he has visited the va- 
rious wonders of nature in the Old and New Worlds, is ready 
to acknowledge that the United States are inferior to no coun- 
try on the globe, either in the number or the magnitude of their 
natural curiosities. Everything which nature does on this con- 
tinent she does on a large scale. She is never dwarfed by want 
of means ; she rolls her rivers three thousand miles before they 
reach the sea ; she has lakes which are mighty inland seas ; she 
has mountains, which, as they rise to the sky, carry half a world 
along with them ; she has prairies, wide almost as tke Great Des- 
ert, but wearing a character peculiarly their own. For waterfalls, 
she has Niagara, confessedly the wonder of the world, the great 
natural feature of our continent, which alone has enticed hither 
travellers from " the farthest Ind," and' " the ultima Thule." 
And her forests in density, extent, and in the height and luxuri- 
ance of the trees, are not excelled by anything outside the 
tropics, and only yield to those of Hindostan which nurture the 
elephant and the tiger. 

But there is one feature almost peculia-r to America, which, as 
far as we know, is rarely to be found elsewhere. We allude to 
her wonderful subterranean caves. There are some in Norway, 
but they are unimportant in comparison. There are some in 
England — one particularly at Kirkdale ; but these, though inter- 
esting on purely scientific grounds, for the store of fossils they 
contain, have no pretensions to compare with the caves of 



America for size and grandeur. Of these the most celebrated 
and the largest, is undoubtedly the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, 
which, like Niagara, is world-renowned. It is familiar to all 
readers in every land ; even the schoolboy is acquainted with 
it and knows it as well as the Pyramids. It is one of the 
wonders of the world. But the Mammoth Cave, even to the 
citizens of our Northern States, is a long way off, and time and 
travel are very costly ; comparatively few people can afford to 
consume both time and travelling expenses. We, in New-York, 
almost find Niagara at our doors, compared with the distance 
of the Mammoth Cave. 

The discovery of a new subterranean wonder within a few 
hours' ride of the Empire City, is a source of pride to the 
dwellers in the Empire State. As recently as 1831, this Cave, 
of which we are about to give a description, was unknown, 
probably, to a single human being. Situated only thirty miles 
from Albany, or 180 miles from New-York, it had passed un- 
noticed as well by the residents in its vicinity as by the passing 
traveller. Yet, here, in Schoharie County, within a day's 
journey of the Metropolis, was a wonder rivalling in its natural 
features, though not equalling in extent, the celebrated and dis- 
tant Mammoth Cave. 

It seems that the proprietor of the land in which this Cave 
is situated, had his notice attracted to an unusual opening in 
the earth shaped like an inverted cone, but almost hidden by 
bushes and briars. On closer investigation he became convinced 
that a subterranean cavity existed, the extent of which it was, 
of course, impossible to determine. Stimulated by curiosity, he 
continued to descend to the bottom of this cone, when he found 
his conjectures confirmed. An irregular, perpendicular fissure 
in the stratum of lime rock, extended far into the depths of the 
earth. It would appear that for some cause or another, he neg- 
lected to prosecute the search any further, and was satisfied 
with knowing that the Cave existed. 

The discovery of the Cave, however, soon became the talk oi 
the neighborhood, and old people, by their firesides, recounted 
tales narrated in years gone by. to the early settlers of that re- 



gion, of a wonderful cavern known only to the aboriginal Red 
Men, and believed by them to be the entrance to the hunting 
grounds of the Great Spirit. These tales were mostly laughed 
at and the existence of the cavern was questioned or denied. 
The State of New-York, it was said, could not furnish such a 
phenomenon. 

Yet the State of New- York possessed the greatest cataract 
of the world, and why not a Mammoth Cave? The State of 
New-York could boast of mountains — the Catskills and the 
Alleghanies — which, if not so lofty as the White Mountains of 
New Hampshire, or the Rocky Mountains of Nebraska, were 
only just inferior to them, and possessing these, why should a 
Mammoth Cave be denied her ? So the believers in the Scho- 
HAEiE Cavern persisted in its existence. They pointed to the 
fissure in the lime rock, which might well be the porch of some 
palace of the gnomes. The Cave at length got much talked 
about, and a party of gentlemen from Schoharie determined to 
confirm or disprove the tradition of its existence. 

Accordingly, in September, 1831, they set out upon their 
journey of exploration. Their names were John Gebhard, Esq.^ 
a gentleman renowned as a mineralogist and a lover of nature, 
whose life was devoted to the prosecution of scientific inquiry. 
He was accompanied by Mr. Hubbard and Mr. Branch, who, 
though amateurs in science, had been successful in the collection 
of some rare cabinets of minerals and fossils. These gentlemen, 
on commencing their labors, found the aperture at about twenty 
feet below the surface, choked with logs and rubbish, which had 
been thrown into the cavity for the purpose of closing it up. 
After having, with considerable difficulty, cleared away the ob- 
stacles to their descent, the party entered upon their journey of 
exploration. Probably human foot had never trodden withia 
those recesses — certainly not the foot of a white man. Nor did 
these gentlemen prepare for their descent with any expectation 
of revealing to the world a Mamm.oth Cave which should at- 
tract visiters from all parts of the country. 

The descent, as we can well imagine, was perilous. But 
mineralogists and ideologists in search of treasures, are not 



usually to be daunted either by difficulties or dangers. The 
mystery that was before them lured them on. The first that 
descended was Mr. Hubbard. A rope was fastened around his 
body, for the rock being perpendicular and the sides presenting 
a smooth surface, with the exception of a few slight projections, 
it was impossible to make use of hands or feet in the descent ; 
he was therefore lowered by the rope till he gave the signal that 
he had found a resting place for his feet. This was a platform 
or ledge of rocks seventy-five feet below the surface, where the 
perpendicular descent was interrupted and declined to the 
South, down a rocky and precipitous declivity. Here Mr. Hub- 
bard disengaged himself from the rope and waited until he was 
joined by Mr. Branch. When they had both reached this point 
they lighted their lamps and cast eager glances into the interior. 
All was dark, but not as silent as the tomb, for startled by the 
unwonted rays of the lamps, some bats which had taken shelter 
there fluttered around them in dismay and darted to the mouth 
of the cavern. After waiting some time the eyes of these gentle- 
men grew accustomed to the place, and with the aid of their 
lamps they were able to discern an opening in the rocks to the 
North, which they accordingly proceeded to explore; but it proved 
to be only a gallery of some twenty feet in length and about ten 
feet in width. Their attention, however, was arrested by the 
wondrous beauty of the crystals which hung from the roof and 
the sides. These, reflecting the rays of the lamps, shone like 
walls of diamonds and startled our adventurers into loud praises 
of their magnificence. On further investigation they foiuid 
that this gallery contained also fine masses of arragonite, sur- 
passing any they had ever before beheld. Having spent some 
time in admiring the beauties of this little place, they retraced 
their steps to the platform of rock where they had first alighted, 
and commenced a descent in an opposite direction. The greatest 
caution was necessary, for the abyss yawned beneath them and 
the passage was very rugged and narrow, not exceeding ten 
feet in width, and frequently decreasing to four. In this way 
they proceeded about sixty feet, the passage sloping at an angle 
of at least sixty degrees with the horizon. This decli\'ity 



terminated suddenly, and the rock sheered oflf to an abrupt, per- 
pendicular wall. Fortunately, upon lowering their lamps with 
a piece of cord, they discovered that this perpendicular wall did 
not exceed twenty feet, and although the attempt was perilous, 
they determined to descend. Aided by some projecting masses, 
they contrived, though with great difficulty, to reach the ledge 
beneath, whence they proceeded at the same inclination as be- 
fore, and through aj similar passage. The first object of their 
adventure was attained, for they had reached the bottom of 
the passage. On examination, they found that though the 
opening of the cavern, at this point, was only about ten feet in 
width, yet it was of great height ; on the western side they 
discovered a small stream of pure water, which ran in a 
southerly direction. This purling stream seemed to indicate the 
course which they should take. Many times they had to stoop, 
for the roof was so low that they could not walk erect ; but 
suddenly turning an angle in the rock, they entered a passage of 
just sufiicient width to admit a man of ordinary size, and found 
themselves in an apartment of about twenty feet in diameter 
and more than a hundred feet in height. Their further pro- 
gress was long arrested by their astonishment. The magnifi- 
cent walls rose in stupendous grandeur, encrusted on all sides 
with transparent crystals of a vast size, formed by the dripping 
of the water through untold ages, from the interstices of the 
roof. The effect was like a chapter of the Arabian Nights, 
wondrous and magical. The rays of their lamps were reflected 
from myriads of gleaming spars and glistening stalactites. They 
were wrapt in admiration. In the distance they heard the 
murmuring of the stream as it rolled onward into the unpene- 
trated and mysterious space. They spoke, and their voices dis' 
solved in peals of sound reverberated by a hundred echoes. 
Still following the course of the stream, our explorers sought 
their way through a passage varying in width from eight to ten 
feet, when their further progress was arrested by the waters of 
a lake, into which the stream, whose course they had so long fol- 
lowed as their guide, suddenly emptied itself. This lake ex- 
tended across the cavern and was of considerable size — its op- 



8 

positc 'shore being lost in the darkness into which the light of 
their lamps could not penetrate. They picked up some pebbles 
whicli they found at the edge of the lake, and tried to hurl 
them across, thereby to judge of its breadth ; but the splash of 
water told them that the stones fell into the lake, and that the 
other shore was far away. Being thus unable to prosecute their 
researches any further, they retraced the path which they had 
traversed, and were at length drawn up into the light of day 
by the friends who awaited them without the cavern, and who 
were considerably alarmed by their protracted absence. 

This was the first descent into that subterranean region. Of 
course it was much talked about. Scientific men heard of it 
and were interested. The cavern could not remain unexplored ; 
the lake must be crossed. Accordingly, in a few weeks, arrange- 
ments were made for further explorations. This second expe- 
dition was headed by Dr. Joel Foster, and on the 21st of Octo- 
ber, of the same year, a boat was procured wherewith to navi- 
gate the waters of this lower world. The gentlemen who 
formed this second party were Mr. Gebhard, Dr. Foster and 
Mr. Bonny. The latter gentleman furnished the boat, which 
was named, in honor of the occasion, the " Bonny Boat." The 
little craft was lowered by a rope and carried to the edge of the 
lake, where, not without some show of ceremony, it was 
launched — the first launch ever made since the birth of Time 
into those waters. Having fixed a light upon the prow, these 
subterranean mariners, without a compass, a chart, or a star to 
direct their course, commenced their voyage of discovery. 
They entered upon the lake through an arched passage of the 
rock so low as not to admit of their standing erect in the boat ; 
th-ey took a southerly direction and presently found themselves 
in water about thirty feet in depth, and so pure and crystalline 
that the smallest object was distinctly visible, by torchlight, on 
the smooth sand at the bottom. Pursuing their voyage, and 
varying their course to the right and left as the water wound 
around the several angles in the arched passage ; which gradu- 
ally ascended to a height which could not be ascertained by the 
light of their torches, and in others approached to within a few 




iiOEPfEl'S CA¥E< 

EXPLORED BY JOUiN (OiBHAKD, ESQ., DR. JOHN FOSTER, 
AND JOHN 8. BONNY, 

Th»inUt Hay of OctobeT,\\\^%\. 



feet of the water, they at length arrived at a rugged shelving 
ascent on the right shore of the lake, under which its waters 
appeared to be lost ; here they thrust the boat to the shore and 
landed. An aperture in the rock was directly fronting them ; 
they passed through this aperture and a scene grand beyond 
conception, burst upon their astonished view. They stood, as 
it were, on the threshold of a large apartment, circular in form 
and of perfect regularity, to which they at once gave the name 
of the " Rotunda." The size and shape of this apartment are 
represented in the picture which accompany this work, especially 
in the ground plan of the Cave. This magnificent chamber is 
more than a hundred feet in height, descending on all sides 
gradually to the centre, forming a spacious gallery around its 
whole circumference, and enclosed above by a horizontal roof. 
From its walls flashed the rays of a million crystals, reflected 
from the torches of the visitors, and giving the scene an air of 
unimaginable splendor. They could not speak ; surprise kept 
them dumb ; they stood entranced with wonder. It was as 
if some magician's rod had called this subterranean palace into 
being as a dwelling-place for gnomes and spirits — those potent 
and mysterious beings of whom we read in the older romances. 
Indeed, the chamber was not inhabited but by creatures " of 
the earth, earthy," — huge bat swhich had been hanging in clus- 
ters on the walls, and which, now startled by the unaccustomed 
light, commenced flapping their wings in fear, and flying around 
the cavern, causing, by the motion of their wings, a hollow 
sound like distant thunder. Our adventurous explorers, un- 
willing to lose this precious opportunity of gathering mineral 
specimens, which from their singularity and rarity were indeed 
treasures of importance, freighted their little vessel with a rich 
cargo and returned to the first water* of the lake, where they 
fastened their boat and conveyed their specimens in baskets to 
the upper world. 

The zest for discovery was now fairly awakened, and within 
a very short period several expeditions were undertaken. 
Three additional apartments, each of them communicating with 
the Rotunda, and forming, as may be seen from the Map of the 



/ 



10 

Ground Plan, small oratories, as it were, connecting with tho 
main cathecTral, were discovered at the next visit. These 
chambers were equally curious with the Rotunda in their own 
distinctive features. The most remarkable of them has been 
styled the " Music Room." Upon entering it, the ear of the 
visitor is saluted with sounds produced by the circulation of 
air, or water, or both, through the fissures of the rock, which 
are not unlike the dulcet tones of the JEolian harp. This 
natural melody comes near realizing the belief that this lower 
world is actually tenanted by a race of spirits who are pleased 
thus to welcome their human visitants to this their wonderful 
abode. 

Returning from these chambers to the margin of the lake, 
another opening in the rock attracted the attention of the 
party. Upon examining this aperture, which was only twenty 
inches in height, the passage beyond appeared to expand and 
the water exhibited a broad, unruffled surface. In the true 
spirit of adventure it was resolved to explore this passage. A 
boat was accordingly constructed, corresponding in size with 
that of the aperture, which was only large enough to admit a 
single individual in a recumbent position. Having thus passed 
through the opening, each being shoved or drawn forward by 
his companions, they found that the rock again ascended in a 
dome-like shape, and that the lake, expanding as before, stretched 
onward for about a quarter of a mile before it was hidden from 
view by a projecting point of rock. Advancing in this new di- 
rection, their navigation was presently interrupted by a semi- 
circular dam formed of calcareous tufa, over which the water 
broke with a slight ripple ; this was only the first of a scries of 
similar obstructions, for, having left the boat and pursued their 
way along a shingly, narrow shore, they counted fourteen of 
these miniature dams, over which the water broke in tiny cas- 
cades, forming a picture, as tho light caught the edges of the 
current, altogether unparalleled and beautiful beyohd descrip- 
tion. The water in this part is quite deep, averaging about 
thirty-five feet, and is remarkably cool and clear as crystal. 
Shortly after these obstructions are passed, the lake ai)pcars to 



il 

terminate. The uext object ^Yhich presented itself to the ad- 
venturers, was the entrance to another room, which proved to 
"be smaller than the otliers — about fifty feet square — and com- 
posed of a union of lime rock with the greywacke formation. 
Tlie scene had now changed. Few crystals or incrustations 
appeared upon the walls ; all was sullen gloom, unrelieved by 
the reflected light of a single gem, which, like stars in the dark- 
ness, had irradiated the former apartments with the beauty of 
meteors shining through a cloudless night. Upon the floor were 
scattered, in confused masses, ponderous rocks, which seemed 
but recently precipitated from the roof. The sullen roar of an 
invisible waterfall resounding through the yawning fissures, 
added to the mystery and solemnity of the scene ; it might 
have been the haunt of Macbeth's witches, or some sorcerer's 
cavern, deep down in the bowels of the earth where earthquakes 
have their beginning. Here, for the first time, our travellers 
were daunted ; their torches threw no light into the abyss be- 
fore them, for the rays were every wliere intercepted by ponder- 
ous masses of rock which had either fallen to the ground or yet 
impended menacingly from the roof. They had penetrated 
about a mile from the mouth of the Cave and had proved the 
safety of descent and of progress thus far. Here was the bar- 
rier where their efi"orts, at least for a time, were to terminate, 
and, Avith the assurance that they had made a discovery that 
would add yet fresh interest to the many natural wonders of 
the Empire State, they broke up their exploring expedition. 

Whatever curiosity the Cavern, ;)f7- 5^, may excite, the rich- 
ness of its mineralogical treasures will more particularly recom- 
mend it both to the general visiter and the man of science. In 
this respect, though many caverns have been explored, some of 
which have exceeded, in size, this remarkable Schoharie Cave, 
very few have equalled it in the value of its minerals. It is 
true that in the northern passage, with the exception of the 
semi-circular dams of calcareous tufa deposited by the running 
waters, but few formations of interest are found in the northern 
passage, but in all the spacious apartments and vaulted passa- 
ges south of the entrance, both stalactites and stalagmites of 



12 

the purest white alabaster, from three to eighteen inches in 
length, and from one to seven inches in diameter, are found in 
prodigal numbers ; they glitter in countless multitudes from the 
walls and from the roof, in the grottos, in the chambers and 
along the course of the lake. Nothing more beautiful can be 
imagined — the effect is as dazzling as the frozen snow upon the 
branches of trees glittering in the rays of the midnight moon. 
One of the stalagmites, found in a small apartment adjacent to 
the Rotunda, is, from its vast size and beauty, deserving of par- 
ticular notice. Its base, of an elliptical form, somewhat re- 
sembling in shape the foot of a candlestick, was three feet six 
inches in its greatest length, and two feet six inches in its 
greatest breadth, with a plane surface underneath ; but from its 
upper surface, rising regularly on all sides to the centre, a 
column of fifteen by ten inches rose to the height of seventeen 
inches, terminating with a plane surface at the top ; a projec- 
tion extended horizontally from the top, from which were sus- 
pended forty-one stalactites from one to five inches in length ; 
on the base were two stalagmites — one seven, the other five 
inches in length ; there were six other small stalagmites 
formed upon it which were unavoidably broken ofl" by its re- 
moval. The stalactites formed an angle with the horizon of 
about forty degrees, but the two stalagmites on the base were 
perpendicular ; this anomaly can only be accounted for on the 
supposition that it had changed its position after the forma- 
tion of the stalactites and before the growth of the stalagmites 
had commenced. This mammoth specimen, supposed to weigh 
four hundred pounds, the whole of the most beautiful white 
alabaster, was, with great difficulty, removed to the margin of 
the water, placed in the boat and taken to the entrance, where, 
with the aid of a windlass, it was drawn to the surface and 
transferred to the cabinet of the discoverer and earliest ex- 
plorer of the Cavern, John Gebhard, Esq., where it remains the 
principal object of attraction in his large collection of miner- 
alogical and fossil curiosities. 

It is rather a singular fact, that in the principal subterra- 
nean caverns of this continent, no fossil remains have been 



13 



\ 



discovered. The Mammoth C?vve of Kentucky, as far as yet 
explored, does not contain a single specimen. This is like- 
wise the case with the celebrated Schoharie Cave. Bones 
have been found, but they were not fossilized, and were evi- 
dently those of animals that had accidentally fallen in and 
perished. Thus, the easterly chamber, the second from the 
entrance, is called the " Fox Room," from the circumstance of 
a skeleton of that animal being found therein ; that the crea- 
ture had fallen in, and, without being killed by the fall, had 
perished of hunger, there could be little doubt. 

Besides the materials already mentioned, beautiful speci- 
mens of " flos ferri," interesting alike for its rarity and ele- 
gance, have been obtained. There have also been found 
crystals of the fibrous carbonate of lime, at least four inches 
in length, in clusters of the most varied and fanciful arrange- 
ment. 

From a brief description of this Cavern, written for a local 
newspaper, at the time of its iirst discovery, we extract the 
following remarks, to which we shall append some slight com- 
ments : 

" The imposing appearance of this superbly decorated range 
of apartments — the novelty of navigating a crystal lake by 
torchlight, beneath an arch of massive rock, at the distance 
of some hundred feet from the surface of the earth, — the 
breathless excitement resulting from the real and imaginary 
dangers of the enterprise, — the extravagant creations of 
childhood, and the no less fantastic visions of maturer years, 
half fiction and half fact, which the wildness of the scene is 
calculated to summon up, and to which fancy may appropriate 
this lonely temple of nature, who seems to have lavished upon 
it her bounties solely for the purpose of giving a " local hab- 
itation" to the poet's world of marvel, are of themselves 
sufficient to render this Cavern a place of frequent and inter- 
esting resort ; but the difficulty of access, the danger of the 
descent, the contracted apertures through which many of its 
most interesting apartments are entered, will probably pre- 
vent its ever being much visited as a subject of mere curiosity, 



1'4 

and wlien tlie votaries of science shall have rifled its treasures, 
the stillness of night will again settle upon the magnificent 
llotunda, and its circumjacent offices and arcades will be un- 
broken save by the flapping of the " bat's dusky wing," or the 
plaintive tones of the invisible musician wasting his minstrelsy 
upon the " desert air." Nature will resume the implements of 
her alchemy and recommence the formation and arrangement 
of ornaments for her rocky palace, where she has for centuries 
held undisputed sway and revelled in all the wantonness of 
majestic architecture and fantastic decoration." 

Now, the writer of this paragraph was certainly altogether 
mistaken. It could not happen that a curiosity so remarkable 
could be long suffered to remain unvisited. It had no sooner 
fallen into the hands of its present proprietor, Mb. W. H. 
Knoepfel, of New-York, than he conceived the design of 
opening it to the public as one of the finest natural wonders of 
the State of New- York. 

For this purpose, as the engraving of the sectional view, 
accompanying this pamphlet, will show, he is about to con- 
struct a perpendicular, spiral stair-case which will conduct the 
visiter to the first landing place leading to the Arragonite 
Chamber. [See engraving J From this point another ordin- 
ary staircase will conduct, by a gradual and easy declivity, to 
the floor of the Cavern. The means of descent will be simpli- 
fied so that the most delicate lady can have no hesitation in 
commending herself to these subterranean depths ; nor will 
the contracted apertures, or the low-browed roofs of the pas- 
sages be any obstacle ; for the former are to be heightened and 
the passages are to be widened, so that any individual may pass 
in safety and comfort. One of French's Life Boats will be put 
upon the lake. The ruggedness of the floors will be removed, 
and, while all the beauties and sublimities of the Cavern will 
remain in their integrity, the difficulty of penetrating ita re- 
cesses will be reduced to that minimum point which shall 
leave enough of adventure to give interest to the undertaking. 

Nor can it be doubted that the public will be slow to avail 
themselves of the facilities thus oft'ered them to extend their 



15 

acquaintance with the wonderful works of nature. When it is 
known, that within a few hours journey of New-York City, by 
the Hudson River Railroad, with a brief jaunt over the Alba- 
ny Plank Road, almost the same subterranean wonders can be 
explored as if, at fifty times the cost, and by the sacrifice of 
days, and almost weeks, where hours now suffice, he had gone 
to Kentucky to pay a visit to the Mammoth Cave, the citizen 
whose opportunities of spending a long time from his home are 
very few and far between, will be eager to profit by the ad- 
vantage. How few of us there are who dream of visiting the 
Mammoth Cave ! A few days at a time are all that the de- 
mands and exigencies of business leave us to call our own. 
Take the population of New-York, and not one person in 
fifty has seen Niagara, which is not removed from our doors a 
fourtli of the distance of the Mammoth Cave. But here, at a 
stone's throw, in comparison, is the Schohaeie Cave, — a curi- 
osity almost as wonderful, and which will, before long, be almost 
equally world-renowned. Situated only thirty miles from Al- 
bany, it is within the power of the poorest individual, some- 
time or other, to pay it a hurried visit and to bear away a 
lasting impression of its beauties. 

Nor will the Cave be the sole attraction of the place. 
Nowhere, in the Empire State, is the scenery more picturesque 
than in Schoharie County. In the neighborhood of the 
Schoharie Cave, it is nearly unequaled for quiet, pastoral 
beauty. From the eminence on which the Mr. Knoeppel's 
property is situated, a sweep of between twenty and thirty 
miles in circumference is embraced by the eye, unassisted by 
any telescope. The general features of the landscape are a 
beautiful interchange of hill and plain — a swelling undulation 
of land, rich with verdure, both of the field and of the forest. 
Around the distant horizon, hills shut out the view, and occa- 
sionally, from a wide expanse of table-land, a mountain rises 
in solitary grandeur. The spot when improved by Mr. 
K.sjoepfel, and laid out into flower gardens, nurseries and 
soft rolling meadows, will be a paradise for lovers of natural 
haunts and pastoral shades. It is Mr. Knoepfel's intention 



16 

to erect Hotels with every accommodation for the numerous 
visiters who will be attracted by the Schoharie Cave. From 
the observatory, on the roof of the house which will be 
erected near the mouth of the Cavern, the visiter will be 
charmed with a prospect so uniformly beautiful, so fascinating 
in every feature, that he will coincide in the general opinion 
that the neighborhood of this subterranean wonder is an actual 
Garden of Eden. 

The improvements now in contemplation, will occupy con- 
siderable time, and it is not expected that full arrangements 
can be made for visiters before the summer of 1854. The 
public will be notified of the fact of their completion, both by 
advertisement and by the issue of a second edition of this 
little work. In the meantime, any mineralogist or other per- 
son devoted to the pursuit of natural science, will be g-ratified 
by paying a visit to the spot even in its present unfinished 
state. 




E. & J. SIBELL, 

ationers i %mm\i look 

MANUFACTURERS, 

No. 20 WALL, CORNER NASSAU STREET, 

(Ol'pnsiTF. TUF. Cl'STOM HOUSK.) 



^^ ^ 



THE LONDON WORLDS FAIR 



Awarded W. E. &, J. SlUKLL. (ii)rmerly Sibell&Mott) for spccimeiisof SLTERIOR Account 
Books, of wliieh tlio three IJuuk Lodger.s (iiiHde for. aud now in use at the City Bank of New- 
York.) exhibited by us were aelcnnwlidgeil to be the most Splendid Specimens of SUBSTANTIAL 
Account Books made for USE. ever exliibited there 

BnnlvS, Inerirance Companies, .\srovI:itions, M 
thine in llielr line connected witli tlit- l.uisne^'^. vi 
1.1TH0GR.\PHING, EN«RAVIX<:, PhlNTIXC, HOOK BINDING, & 

lOPYING PRES.SB:s, MANIKOLl) i.K'iri:]! \VIiITKR.S, GOLD PKXS, f'ASH BO.XES, Ac, i 



hiints and others, supplied on the most liberal terms with every 
i'X°lI^'T_?.9?'^?■ •■'".'1 ^^''■''y description of STATIONERY, 



COMMERCIAL BLANKS, 



Such as BILLS OF LADING SHIPPING REC'ElPT.s, USTOM HOISE an,l WAREHOUSE ENTRIES UND- 
I\(i ClORTIFIGATES, MANIFESTS, PASSENGER LISTt^, NOTES, DRAFTS, BILLS OF E.XCHANGE. Ac. Ac. 



^^w ^^^v^jm 



DEF.DS, MORTGAGES, BONDS, ASSIGN.MENTS. POWERS OF ATTORNEY, SUBPOENAS, EXECUTION, 
and nil other Legal Blank forms, including a full assortment of the iNew- Code Blanks. Thk Kinsr Five Bianki 
Neati.v Ri:i.Ki> WITH Marginal Eeh Lines, WITHOUT EXTRA EXPENSE. 



Orders from the Country Promptly attended to. 
\VIL.L.IA»1 K. SIBELL. JOHN "U^ 



SIBELL. 



IN CONNECTION WITH THE ABOVE, 




JIAVI^: A ].ARGE 

STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTING 

AT No. 11 SPRUCE STREET, NEW- YORK. 
'^»^9'»^> 

Havi.it' lia.lnnKiL'lil lli.rs,- P..xs .r Sl,.„m Eimiiio m:i.l.- expressly fur them, they are now enaWed hy their EXTEN- 
SIVE FACILITIKS t..., v. cute Willi KAI'IDITV. .vevv .Icstiiption if JOB PRINTING, such as BILL-HEADS, CIR- 
CULARS, POLIilF.s, HANK ( lli;< Ks, SHOW lUI.I.S, ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION, REPORTS, BUNK \C- 
COUNT BOOK HEADINGS, TI.MK HOOKS, LAl'.FI.S, &o., &c. 

CAl<,I>$t Printed on our l.isihtiiiuj; I'roiifics inany i]viintitv- in the shin test possible time. 

t^ Particular attention imid to EXPRKSS AND STEAMBOAT ORDERS. 

JSr Orders from the country for PRINTING, PROMPTLY FILLED ami sent by Express. With our 

LARGE PO'WER PRESSES, 

EVERY DESClid'TloN' »)1' BOOK M'ORK W'WA. V,V. 'ITRXED OUT ].\ THE 

/t?r BEST MANNER. -<?i\ 

W. E, SIBELL, JOHN W. SIBELL. GEO. B. MAIGNE. 

I\o. II SPRUCE STREET, 

Three tlonrs IVdih tlio •• Trilniiie" Office, (Itetweeii Na.ssan iiud AVilliam street* -'-^h, 
(»r upper side.) New-York. ' v,,7 



LBD'14 



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